GANGNEUNG — On the ride to Gangneung Hockey Arena on Saturday, Team Canada found itself at a figurative fork in the road.

Reaching the end of one of the most meaningful journeys of their hockey lives, they could have gone one of two ways.

The group of unheralded players could leave here remembered as a team that essentially embarrassed itself in a humiliating semifinal loss to Germany, or they could return home with an Olympic medal.

In what was truly an impressive and redemptive performance given what had happened less than 24 hours earlier, Team Canada came out with energy and purpose and left with a bronze medal after a mostly dominating 6-4 win over the Czech Republic.

The victory was the third bronze in Olympic men’s hockey history for Canada and allowed the 23 players on coach Willie Desjardins’ roster to leave with their heads held high. They certainly arrived at the arena in that frame of mind and took it to the Czechs from the outset.

Faced with the unenviable task of defending a gold medal won by NHL superstars four years ago in Russia, a group that was culled from pro leagues across Europe and North America somehow rebounded from the vexing display a night earlier.

If there is any regret, it will be that they were nowhere near as motivated at the start of the 4-3 loss to the unheralded Germans. But this team of players past their prime or not good enough to be in the NHL revealed a great deal about their character on Saturday.

Facing an opponent that had defeated them in a shootout during round-robin play, the Canadians came out with an energetic first period that saw them beat Czech goaltender Pavel Francouz three times.

That included an entertaining 31-second stretch that featured three goals. The first got Canada on the board when a Mat Robinson shot bounced in off of Andrew Ebbett’s skate. Just 16 seconds later Martin Ruzicka scored for the Czechs, and in just 15 more ticks, Canadian captain Chris Kelly tipped one past Francouz.

When Derek Roy, Canada’s best offensive player in the tournament, finished off a two-on-one at the 15:57 mark, the two-goal lead resulted in more inspired play and confidence.

That attitude carried into the third period, when they played to win the bronze as if to merely hang on for the victory. Ebbett and Kelly each scored again, with a Czech marker from Jan Kovar in between. The Czechs thought they had trimmed the lead to 5-3, but a Martin Erat goal was called back after Tomas Zohorna interfered with Canadian goalie Kevin Poulin.

Though they were unable to defend the gold medals won at Sochi 2014 and Vancouver 2010, the Canadians were able to add to the country’s record haul with the 29th medal of these Games. They also avoided missing the podium for the first time since the 2006 Torino Olympics.

While maddening that a similar effort the previous night would have guaranteed a silver and a shot at gold against the Russians — instead, Germany will get that chance at 11:10 p.m. ET on Saturday — the Canadians showed a great deal in their bounce back.

It was certainly their most ambitious effort of the six games they played here and ensured they wouldn’t go back empty handed.